This invention, generally, relates to devices for securing items of personal property in open areas having little or nothing to which to fasten such items and, more particularly, to a portable system for securing items to the ground or beach easily, conveniently and securely.
Theft of personal property is a perennial problem. Possibly the best the way to safeguard one's personal property is to watch over it. However, standing guard is not always a viable option. Therefore, a common alternative is to simply keep items of personal property locked up.
To secure an item with a lock, there should be a way to attach the item to a fixture. Such a fixture is something too large, too heavy, or too well-planted to be easily moved. For example, a suitable fixture might be a portion of a building like a floor or wall, a heavy safe or, outdoors, it might be a utility pole or tree.
A determined thief with the right tools and enough time can defeat most security devices. However, if defeating a security device poses a clear time-consuming situation to a thief, the thief will be deterred--even if just to seek easier prey elsewhere. Therefore, a security device does not have to be theft-proof to be effective.
A particularly troublesome type of theft is the theft of personal property from individuals at the beach because they cannot keep possessions with them while engaged in beach recreational activities (e.g., swimming). Locking up personal property is often not an option because of a lack of fixtures on the beach for securing personal property. Although an alarm may be utilized, an alarm system is not likely to be effective by itself because even if the owner heard an alarm, the thief would likely escape with the items of personal property by simply mingling with the beach crowd.
A security system is needed that allows beach goers to secure their personal property on the beach. As few beaches offer areas for securing personal property, the security system should allow a user to secure her property without requiring special areas or fixtures at the beach. The security device should take enough time to defeat that thieves are deterred from attempting to steal the secured personal property. The present invention fulfills this and other needs.